Sun Microsystems powers the www search for Australia's missing people
Search agencies and police now have the support of one of the world's leading technology companies, Sun Microsystems, to help find Australia's missing people.
As the sponsor of this year's National Missing Persons Week (August 1-7 1999), Sun will supply the National Missing Persons Unit, based at the Australian Bureau of Criminal Intelligence, with powerful networking technology.
The company will also provide funding for the production of an Australian first information package, 'Search Options and Support: A guide for the families and friends of missing people' (S.O.S. Guide) and other public education material.
An E450, a powerful multi-processing workgroup server that delivers highly reliable, secure, network ready capabilities for large-scale software applications, will be provided to the NMPU as part of Sun's sponsorship package.
The equipment will eventually be used as a web server for a proposed new NMPU internet site, enabling individuals to log on from anywhere in Australia to obtain or provide information about missing people.
Coordinator of the NMPU, Ms Carol Kiernan, said Sun's contribution will help the Unit in its role of ensuring there is a national approach to dealing with missing people.
'The world wide web has opened up a whole range of opportunities where we can use technology to reach an extensive number of people who may have information about a missing person,' Ms Kiernan explained.
'Having Sun's technological support in this area will be of great value in assisting Australian police and search agencies in their efforts to solve some of our most baffling cases.'
Each year in Australia some 30,000 people are reported missing to police and tracing organisations such as the Australian Red Cross, The Salvation Army and the International Social Service. More than half these people are aged under 18.Of the 28,500 people reported missing to police, 99.5 per cent are located. Many are found within hours, 85 per cent are located within a week and 95 per cent within a month.
Sun's alliance with the NMPU stems from an existing relationship with the Australian Bureau of Criminal Intelligence which already uses Sun technology. It is also an extension of Sun's global program to aid the search for missing people and its three-year partnership with the United States' National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.
Sun Microsystems' Managing Director, Mr Russell Bate, said sponsoring organisations such as the National Missing Persons Unit fits well within the company's business philosophy of unrestricted information sharing.
'Sun's business has grown based on helping individuals and organisations share information, irrespective of the brand of technology they use,' Mr Bate explained.
'It is about harnessing technology for all the right reasons and that is why we are pleased to support this year's National Missing Persons Week.'
National Missing Persons Week is an annual event coordinated by the NMPU in conjunction with police, the Australian Red Cross, The Salvation Army, the International Social Service and other community organisations. The Week aims to raise public awareness about Australia's missing people and associated issues.